The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector for a junction box that provides contact between the conductors of an electric power cable and a plurality of leads.
Various types of connector assemblies are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,231,633 and 3,727,171 each show connector assemblies having an elongated terminal bar for receiving a sliding terminal connector which is adapted to receive a suitable cable conductor. A set screw fixes the location of the connector on the terminal bar. However, when stripping and preparing the end of a large power cable for such connector assemblies, it is critical to have the correct length since such connectors cannot readily adjust to variations in cable length. In addition, cable of the type utilized in such assemblies is very stiff and adjusting the length of the cable is difficult and thus inserting the conductors into connector holes is extremely difficult.
There is a need for a connector assembly which can receive a cable which is not of just one predetermined length, and which avoids the difficulties of inserting stiff conductors into a terminal connector.